Notes from Japan. 1'31 



one cannot but help feeling satisfied with the results of the 

 expedition, for, besides taking nests of Geocichla varia (and 

 thus procuring for the first time indisputably authentic eggs 

 of this so-called "British'' bird), I discovered the nesting- 

 ground of Emheriza yessoensis and was able to observe the 

 interesting breeding-habits of Gallinago anstralis, while the 

 nests and eggs of other rare species were also secured. 

 Wlienever I deemed it necessary to identify the l)ird (which 

 I did in almost every case) pains were taken to procure the 

 parent at the nest, but, as a rule, this was only done with the 

 first clutch of eggs, the species being afterwards recognised 

 by watching the bird return to its nest through a pair of 

 binoculars. 



Although the avifauna of Japan has so long been known 

 to science, practically nothing has been written about the 

 habits of the birds, and Jouy (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 1883) is 

 among the few authors who have even referred to the subject. 

 Temminck and Schlegel, in their ' Fauna Japonica/ give no 

 field-notes; and Messrs. Blakiston and Pryer, who did so 

 much for Japanese ornithology, devoted most of their time to 

 collecting; while Seebohm, who wrote 'The Birds of the 

 Japanese Empire,' never even visited the islands, and his work 

 is httle more than an elaborated " list." A full bibliography, 

 up to the date of its publication, will be found in the last- 

 named volume. 



In the present notes, for the sake of convenience, 1 have 

 followed Seebohm's arrangement of the species. The native 

 names were almost all gleaned from the Japanese themselves, 

 the few exceptions being taken from Blakiston and Fryer's 

 "Birds of Japan" pubHshed in the 'Transactions of the 

 Asiatic Society of Japan ' in 1882. 



Let me conclude by mentioning my deep obligation to 

 Mr. Alan Owston, of Yokohama, who most generously placed 

 at my disposal one of his experienced Japanese collectors. 

 This man was not only thoroughly familiar with the habits of 

 all the commoner species, but was also an expert skinner, and 

 therefore of the greatest help to me, and, in addition to 

 this, as I was always accompanied by a good interpreter he 



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